


A Cold Day In Hell

by Iamanidot



Series: Ashes of a Broken Clock (Time Travel Tommy AU) [4]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: :], Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Character Study, Gen, He doesn't get one unfortunately :(, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The Nether (Minecraft), Time Travel Fix-It, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, also all the characters above are only mentioned, but - Freeform, far from it, minus Tommy ofc, none of them are actually in this, not technically an ending, since this isnt the end of the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 20:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30061185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamanidot/pseuds/Iamanidot
Summary: He looked around the ugly netherrack caverns, and took a deep breath.Tommyinnit was not lost.No.He was merely- enjoying the view, because everyone knew Tommyinnit enjoyed the nether.The cascading lava falls, the blooming lush forests made with what nightmares create, the abyssal echoes of creatures and abominations beyond his imaginations, he enjoyed it all. Yes. Tommyinnit was a known enjoyer of the nether.Tommyinnit would not be caught being lost. Not in this economy.Or; In which Tommyinnit is lost in the nether and gets lost in his thoughts.Or Or; In which Tommy feels so, so, cold.(Part of a series but can be read as standalone.)
Series: Ashes of a Broken Clock (Time Travel Tommy AU) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2165652
Comments: 3
Kudos: 76





	A Cold Day In Hell

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of a series wherein Tommy just after the Disc War finale is transported back into the past, smack dab in the climax of the war for the freedom of L'Manburg. I'd recommend reading the other works before this to get the full experience, if you haven't already.

Tommy hated the nether. It's red hot temperature, the scent of burnt rubber, the treacherous trenches, and of course, the lava lakes. He had hated it. Ever since exile, every time he looked at the molten liquid all he could see was burnt flesh and ashes of golden locks, piercing blue eyes staring at him as the figure mouthed a phrase at him. He had never been able to figure out what it was. He hadn't had the courage to ever find out what it meant. He didn't want to.

He had always hated wearing armor- as good as he was at fighting, Tommy wasn't a warrior. He'd say he was the best at words, speaking. Talking. He was great at it. Absolutely amazing, the best- well he was the best at everything, but he was...the- the _best_ of the best at speaking. Yes. Armor? Utterly awful, he fucking hated the wearing them- because it meant he was vulnerable, it meant- he just hated it. It suffocated him. Made him feel restrained. 

But the nether made wearing armor even _worse_ , everyone who liked wearing armor in the overworld downright _hated_ wearing anything at all in the hellish dimension, the usually metallic coverings only adding to the nightmarish high temperatures of the lands, glaring red hot flames forming out of thin air simply because any iron would get to hot. Tommy didn't like it. He was sure nobody did.

Except Technoblade- fucking bastard. His piglin hybrid genes made him practically immune to any of the heat the nether had carried, and the man _loved_ the cold even more. Temperature practically meant nothing to him. Bitch.

* * *

  
Tommy sighed, placing his foot on the familiar dark red floors of the nether brick fortress. He'd arrived at his destination. He knew what he had to do, he'd done it with ~~his brother~~ Technoblade many times in the- past? Future? Time was dead and Tommy had killed it with his bare fists while holding a potato. He doesn't know what that meant but it sounded funny so he continued on with his trek through the hallways of the abandoned structure.

He was here for a potion run. He noticed that L'Manburg was starting to run out of healing potions, and although Wilbur told him not to worry about it, he was here. On any other day, Tommy would have agreed begrudgingly, but he was Tommyinnit, the man and the best and he don't not need no man to give him any orders. Also the Railway war was coming up and Tommy needed every advantage he could get, and seeing how well strength and healing potions worked out for Technoblade in the past- future? He'll call it the past future. Anyway, seeing how well potions had worked out for Technoblade in the past future, he felt slightly inclined to get some himself. Slightly.  
  
Tommy jumped, pulling up his shield to block out fireballs heading his direction. He pulled his shield down, turning to look at the creature firing at him. Burning rods rotated around its hellish form, bursting and erupting, the Blaze loomed, spheres of embers and heat formed in the air surrounding it, shooting themselves at him. Tommy pulled up his shield once more, barely blocking all of them in time, as he crept closer at the creature, netherite sword in his other hand.

Another moment, and the creature was gone, laid to dust on the floor beneath as Tommy held in his hand a glowing rod. It felt white-hot, burning him, the temperature was blazing and it felt like consuming him and- it wasn't burning him. He wasn't hurt. He felt like he was clutching the sun at his fingertips but he wasn't hurt. Tommy pocketed the blaze rod, walking off to explore the dark corridors of the fortress.

A couple of minutes later, and Tommy was backed against a wall, his shield blackened and decayed. Withered. He raised his shield once more, blocking a swing from a stone sword, charred and cracked. The weapon looked like it would crumble at a touch, just like its wielder, standing of charcoal and cracking bones, the Wither Skeleton lunged at him with another swing, this time, the sword tore through the shield like it was butter, barely grazing him as it passed. Fuck. He got hit. 

"Fuck, Wilbur's gonna kill me for thi- _Tubbo._ I am so dead." Tommy whispered incoherently, clutching his arm.  
  
Even a single touch of a wither skeleton was _deadly_ for any normal human, but Tommy? He was anything but normal, because he was the man and he was the- _ow_. Okay, his arm was hurting, he should finish this quick. His netherite sword gleamed, decapitating the creature in a single swing. The body rapidly crumbled to dust as the skull flew to the air, Tommy barely catching it with a lunge and holding it tight and safely, making sure the weapon of mass destruction wouldn't crumble at a touch. 

Tommy _grinned._

What he held in his hand was a third of what was needed to summon the being the plagued his nightmares, and it was right at his fingertips. So this was what power felt like. Tommy thinks he quite enjoys how it feels. So this was how Technoblade and Dream felt? His grin widens. He'd show them. He'd show all of them what he was capable of. He wasn't Tommy, he wasn't the vice president, he wasn't the hero of the story.

**_There were no heroes here._ **

He was Tommyinnit, and he would be the one to kill Dream, not Technoblade, not Wilbur. _Him._

~~He also needed to get back quick or else Tubbo would kill _him_ before he even got _close_ to touching Dream.~~

* * *

  
  
A couple of hours later, a couple of decayed, burning shields, and a bruised pride, and Tommy had emerged out of the fortress clutching his infected arm. He checked his inventory once more, ignoring the stinging of his arm as he admired the beauty of the amount of skulls in it. Was it fifteen? Thirty? Who knew? Well, him- but he wasn't telling anyone, not even Tubbo. Tommy had a plan.

It was a very shitty plan, but it was a plan.

He looked around the ugly netherrack caverns, and took a deep breath.

Tommyinnit was not lost. 

_No._

He was merely- enjoying the view, because everyone knew Tommyinnit enjoyed the nether.

The cascading lava falls, the blooming lush forests made with what nightmares create, the abyssal echoes of creatures and abominations beyond his imaginations, he enjoyed it all. Yes. Tommyinnit was a known enjoyer of the nether.

Tommyinnit would not be caught being lost. Not in this economy.

* * *

  
  
Tommyinnit was lost. 

He was still in the nether, but he was in a different biome, now. He was in the red forest biome or whatever the fuck it was called. He didn't really care all that much, because Tommyinnit was too cool to use proper names. Only normal people did that, and Tommy was better than normal people so he does not do that.

A snort.

If another piglin snorts in his fucking direction, Tommy was going to lose it.

Another snort.

Tommy barely held himself back, still thankful for ~~Tubbo's~~ _his_ foresight, not anyone else's, but _Tommyinnit's_ foresight to bring a pair of gold boots so that he wouldn't get jumped by every piglin in sight the moment he entered through the portal.

An idea popped in his head, and Tommy grinned. He was a genius. He was just the coolest and the smartest.

A flash of light from his inventory, and the echoing noise of a gold bar dropping onto the floor.

Tommy's grin widened, as he watched with glee at the creatures rushing at the material, tripping and trampling over themselves as he threw more pieces of the mineral into the air, enjoying how the mobs fought and tussled for the minerals, tossing at him items from rare items like ender pearls and fire resistance potions.

He checked his inventory. Five obsidian, two from the fortress, and three from the piglin traders. Unlucky, he threw all his gold in and only got half of what he needed to build a portal. Fuck. 

At least he had more ender pearls and fire resistance potions, those were useful at least. 

He sighed, pocketing the items he had gathered.

_So much for his grand plan._

* * *

  
Another hour, and Tommy was starting to lose track of time. He had moved to a different biome, this one of the undead and its souls plaguing the sands and the soil, skeletons of eldritch beings far past their time rupturing from the ground, and flames that burned the soul blazing with the light of life.

Tommy sighed, blocking another volley of arrows with his shield. He was starting to get tired of this, of the hordes upon hordes of skeletons raining volley after volley of arrows at him, but on the bright side, his reaction speed was getting better. 

A glint caught his attention from the corner of his eye as he blocked another arrow and decapitated another undead archer. It was a block of gold. Gold would usually not be that important, but the mineral was scarce in the soul valleys. The only way to find it there- was through a ruined portal.

Tommyinnit _smiled_.

He was coming home soon, and he couldn't wait.

Another couple of minutes of agony later, discarded bones and snapped bows laid around the standing figure of the boy, clutching a broken shield and a netherite sword, as Tommy grits his teeth, pulling out an arrow from his thigh and chewing on a golden apple he had gotten on the mineshaft expedition with Wilbur a couple of weeks ago, admiring the warm feeling flowing through his veins as his wounds sported bubbles of red before patching and stitching themselves together. Another moment, and he was fully healed, his only sign of injury was his half withered arm, and even the growth of the infection was halted by the apple.

Tommy made his way through the valleys, making sure to run through the soil, not wanting to get his soul dragged out of him because of some stupid sand, and grinned as he got closer to his destination. A ruined portal, just like he expected. 

It was Tommyinnit's big day! It was a complete frame, the obsidian barely touched, only three pieces of the ten were corrupted, and- Tommy forgot his pickaxe. Fuck.

Tommy bust open the chests, hoping for a pickaxe, even gold would be great- none, just a shovel and some bars of gold. Not even a soul speed book. 

This is what Techno would usually call a "bruh moment," Tommy thinks.

He sighs, cracking his knuckles. Looks like he'll be here for a while. Alone with nothing to accompany him but his thoughts.

He was alone. He was always alone. Tommy was lonely. He thought that maybe- maybe being friends with Tubbo would fix it. But Tubbo exiled him. He thought that maybe Wilbur would help him. But Wilbur lost himself along the way. He thought that maybe Techno could help him, and he did. Only a shame that Tommy had to fuck it up, but what was he supposed to do? It was a lose-lose situation, no matter who or what he had chosen, he would have lost. Had he chosen Techno, then he'd have lost Tubbo- and he had lost Techno instead. He chose Tubbo.

He can't really say he regretted it.

He can't really he didn't.

He's alone. He's always been alone. He wants to call for help. He wants someone to help him. Where was Tubbo, where was Wilbur, where was Phil, where was _Techno-_

~~**_But nobody came._ ** ~~

Silly Tommyinnit. He forgot. They weren't here. 

He wants to scream, he wants to shout, but his throat gives in and not a single noise makes it out. 

Tommyinnit feels cold.

He feels cold, and he feels alone. The reality of the situation slams against him. He's in the past. He's not in the future. He's stuck in the present. These people- they weren't his Tubbo, his Wilbur- they were different, they didn't have the tragedies yet- err, they didn't have that many tragedies yet. 

He was alone. Nobody else remembered. Nobody else knew. He was, for all intents and purposes, completely by himself. What could he do? Tell them he was from the future? _Yeah,_ because _everyone_ would believe the silly little child who knew nothing about the world and only knew how to fight and to survive-

And he's only ever known how to survive. He's never been taught how to **_live._**

The nether suffocates him, it traps him in this heat, it engulfs him- he feels like he's sitting next to the sun. 

So why?

_Why does Tommy feel so, so, cold?_

Cold.

It reminds him of the arctic. A cabin in the wasteleands, wooden and warm. It felt like home. He wants to go home. He misses home.

Why can't he go home? 

Oh. Right. He's in the past. He can't go home.

After all this is over, Tommy thinks, he'll go home.

He'll go home.

The portal opens up with a crack, as Tommy tosses a fire charge he had gotten from the piglins into the newly fixed portal frame, and purple plasma materialized from the embers. Merely the sight itself gave Tommy extreme nausea, much less stepping in.

Tommy steps out and into the sun. 

~~Tommy steps into a wooden cabin, opening the door, shivering and cold.~~

Tommy feels warm.

**_~~He's home. He's finally home.~~ _ **

**Author's Note:**

> Tldr; Child needs hug. Child doesn't get hug.


End file.
